Chapter 38

"Jane, I just finished putting Liam to bed," I called out softly from outside her bedroom door.

We had just gotten back to Jane's house from the gala. It was pitch dark outside when we left, so I wasn't too surprised when Liam fell asleep in Jane's arms just minutes after we started driving.

She didn't talk much on the entire way back, which made me worry that she might have regretted her original plan to marry me.

The silence felt deafening.

But that worry didn't last too long when she tiredly leaned against my arm halfway through the drive and mumbled in a half-awake state, "Thank you for standing up for me, Achilles."

My heart warmed as she snuggled deeper into my chest in her half-conscious state, like how an exhausted kitten would curl up. I had carefully wrapped my arm around her shoulders, keeping her pressed firmly against my side until we got back to her house.

By the time we arrived, she was already partially dozed off in my arms. I told my driver to wait outside for me as I